The present invention relates generally to a light reflection and blinking apparatus and the method for the use of same. It is particularly useful in the greeting card industry as a means for providing for light reflection and blinking lights coming from the apparatus affixed to the undersurface of the greeting card and viewed by a viewer through perforations in the greeting card's surface.
Generally, the invention is comprised of reflecting light at a specific location within the interior or core of a fiber optic to the outside of the fiber optic, such that a viewer on the outside will see concentrated light at the reflection location within the fiber optic. The blinking of this light is caused by the recurrent transmission of light into the interior of the fiber optic. The reflection is localized by making incisions in the body of the fiber optic at the specified locations.
Presently, the use of fiber optic apparatus is known and used in industry. These apparatus were designed and operated as follows: In order to create more than one blinking light, separate lengths of fiber optics have been necessary. For each separate blinking light location, it was necessary to have separate lengths of fiber optics. Thus, for a viewer to see "n" blinking lights, "n" fiber optics were required, where "n" is an integer greater than zero. Each length of fiber optic also has been used with a separate light source for illumination for each length. Thus "n" fiber optic length has required "n" light sources, where "n" is an integer greater than zero.
By the use of numerous light sources, a greater demand for energy use was placed on the energy source by these light sources. If an apparatus used only one energy source to provide all of the energy to illuminate numerous light sources, the energy source depleted more rapidly than if for example only one light source needed to be illuminated. This exhaustion of energy reduced the useful life of a blinking apparatus, that is, the time when the energy source would have to be replenished, e.g., by replacing a battery. Should more than one energy source be used in a blinking apparatus, there were then more parts necessary, which used more space and cost more money.
Common designs, layouts and operations previously used can be shown by example. A sign with "n" blinking lights where "n" is an integer greater than zero, required "n" appropriately sized and spaced separate fiber optic lengths. A localized blinking light effect could only be created and seen at the terminal end of each fiber optic. So careful placement of each of "n" terminal ends of the fiber optics was required. This presented cumbersome design and spacing problems in the small space available in a greeting card. Each of the separate fiber optic lengths was then illuminated by a light source. The blinking effect was created by the periodic activation and deactivation of this light source by any commonly used circuitry and electric current regulator.
The invention comprises a light reflection and blinking apparatus requiring only one fiber optic length, one light source and one power source to provide many separate blinking lights. This apparatus provides a blinking light apparatus which has a minimum of parts to produce an equivalent or greater number of blinking lights than was previously available. This apparatus is less costly and cumbersome and more easy to design because of fewer component parts and a reduced energy demand on the energy source. In effect, an improved and more useful blinking light apparatus has been invented.